-- The Hedgehog Cactus -–

John Herlihy

The hedgehog cactus filled my eyes with awe,

The loveliest plant in desert climes I ever saw.

I said lovely because it fills the heart with love,

Lonely, wild as the unexpected sight of a dove.

Such a beauty to grace solitude in scrub-grass,

The wildness of nature seen in a looking-glass.

Take a close look at this amazing beauty mine,

Poking its head amid rock as a lone porcupine.

Penning messages in the mist from a lone quill,

To express a part of its soul the morning to fill.

To thrive in suffocating heat and extreme cold,

They live to be one hundred, never to get old.

The spiny fruit eaten with its soft-bodied pulp,

Delicately, with caution and never in one gulp.

I stare in wonder at its amazing, purple flower,

But respect fills my heart at this magical hour.

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(c) John Herlihy 28 April 2019